Thursday, November 29, 2012

The above comments came from the student evaluations from my
last year of teaching.

As I poured over the results and comments, I felt a sense of
satisfaction. The complements reaffirmed why I entered teaching.

Their
criticisms made me think. How could I improve my teaching? How can I become a
better teacher? Not only did I find their criticisms legitimate, they indeed
were areas of weakness. Most importantly their opinions shaped how I planned
for the future (less lecturing, better homework assignments, relate the class
to their lives).

On Monday’s #vachat, the question was asked, “Should
students be involved in the evaluation of teachers?”

Unanimously respondents agreed that students should evaluate
teachers.

Joe Posick @posickj

Students are in front of teacher more than we are so they
see them at their best and worst.

Michael Craddock
@mpcraddock

Why wouldn’t you ask students? Besides, the teacher, how
many other people really know what goes on in the classroom day to day?

Jessica
Cromer@BuffVeeP

Student voice should be heard; it’s all about the way it is
presented and worded.

Rob Donatelli @NL_MrD

Absolutely. They are our clients. Don’t we in bus. ask our
customers to rate/review us?

Brian Kayser
@bkayser11

Students definitely need to be involved, any teacher that
says no already knows what their students will say, and it’s probably bad.

Of course, student evaluations should only be part of the
whole picture. Critics of student evaluations claim that anonymous
student evaluations enable students to settle personal grievances against teachers.
While this indeed may be the case, the best teachers usually don’t make
enemies. Most students respect their teachers and appreciate their efforts and
commitment.

Critics also believe that knowing students will be
evaluating them, teachers would inflate grades. From my own teaching experiences—I
was known for being relatively difficult—I consistently earned excellent marks
on classroom environment and personality. Even when asked, “Does the teacher
grades fairly?”students responded
favorably (although not as high as other questions).

The benefits of student evaluations of teachers far outweigh
any potential problems. So much so, that teachers should constantly be seeking student input, not just at the end of the year. The best teachers constantly reflect on their
performance. Student evaluations facilitate reflection by soliciting feedback.
Feedback need not be formal, but can instead be done informally at the end of
every class or every unit.

How could I have done a better job?

What did you find most difficult?

What are you most confused about?

As a teacher, what could I have done better today?

Seeking constant feedback sends a message to students
that teachers value their opinions; that we are not above them. Seeking
input opens teachers' eyes to strategies for improvement. Imagine how students would
respond when they see their teachers making adjustments based on their feedback!
Imagine how this would improve teaching and learning!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Yesterday, Eric Sheninger posted a blog entitled Creativity and Why it Matters. The Adobe Education study suggests creative thinking should be
made a higher priorityin education.
Based on a survey of 1,000 college-educated adults, 85% agree creative thinking
is critical for problem solving in their careers.

Some other survey findings:

82% wish they had more exposure to
creative thinking as students

91% agree that there is more to success
in school than focusing on course material

71% say creative thinking should be
taught as a stand-alone class

In my 20 years as an educator, I can
honestly say I’ve seen a deterioration of higher-level skills or creative
thinking. While standardized tests don’t deserve all of the blame, it’s not
purely coincidental that the increase in standardization correlates with
decreased creativity.

I know standardized tests are here to
stay—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing—so what can be done to expose more
students to creative thinking?

We must recognize that standards are just a
framework and we must not limit our teachings because of them.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Homework’s value and purpose has spawned several personal conversations/debates
in the last couple of months—too many to count. Some of the notable ones:
#vachat conversation, a great post by Patrick Larkin (there are several articles in links to hw in his must-read blog), and my own conversations
with staff, parents, and students. My first blog post was even about the issue.
But, the issue of homework is worth revisiting as my opinions have been shaped by these recent conversations.

First, let me get my get this out of the way. In high school,
homework can serve a valuable academic purpose. Homework should never be
assigned just for the sake of assigning something, and I’m not even sure it’s
effective to assign homework to teach responsibility, self-discipline, and time
management.

So how can teachers make homework purposeful?

1.Homework should be started in class.
This ensures that the students are capable of completing it successfully.
Additionally, beginning the assignment in class enables the teacher to explain
the purpose of the assignment to the students.

2.Students must understand the value of
the homework. Homework can serve different purposes: pre-assessing, checking
for understanding, or practicing. Regardless of the purpose, students must see
the value in it.

3.If homework is assigned as practice,
it’s important that students practice correctly.
As a basketball coach, I know the most difficult coaching task was to
re-teach/correct a player whose shooting form was incorrect. Practice doesn’t
make perfect, but it can make permanent. The same applies with homework. This
is especially important in math classes, so why not provide the students with
the answers—even the steps—for each question (not just the odd-numbered). By providing
the students with answers, feedback is instantaneous and learning is
reinforced.

4.Returning to the basketball analogy;
one of the reasons so many players developed bad shooting techniques was
because as youngsters they were forced to heave the ball at a ten-foot rim. A
task too hard for little kids. I’m sure many children, like my daughter,
became frustrated with their inability to get the ball to the rim and simply give up, while those who experienced initial success continued playing.
Quality homework assignments must be doable so students can feel positive about
their learning and themselves.

5.Students should be held accountable for
homework. If it’s worth assigning, it should be worth doing. If the student has
already mastered the concept, why give them an assignment that will be
seen—rightfully so—as busy work? In cases like this, we have an opportunity to
differentiate our assignments. Failing students for not completing homework,
despite their mastery of the material, is unfair.

Accountability doesn’t
necessarily mean attaching a grade to the assignment, and it doesn’t mean that
late work shouldn’t be accepted.

How can students be held
accountable without coercing them with grades?

·Provide students choices

·Require students to self-assess and
check for their own understanding

·Check instead of grade.

·Use homework for formative assessment
purposes.

·Ensure students see the value of the
homework to their learning success.

We've been fortunate to have conversations at our school about our homework policies. I look forward to hearing your opinions.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending my 3rdedcamp; this one in Baltimore. Approximately, 70 educators from as far south as
Virginia and as far north as New York (maybe even New Hampshire) attended the
unconference at Digital Harbor High School. As with all edcamps, the passion
and energy were high—as one would expected when 70 committed educators come
together on a Saturday.

Of the attendees, several I regularly communicate with on twitter. Despite being limited to 140 characters, I felt
as if I knew these people already, but I relished the opportunity to have in-person conversations with them.

Conversation and ideas flowed from the initial gathering
through the morning sessions, through lunch and until I left for the trip back to Virginia.
I attended 4 great sessions.

1.Flipped classrooms. Flipping is about much more
than just providing direct instruction through video. For a flipped classroom
to be effective, what occurs in class is even more important.

2.The power of collaboration. Most educators that
attend edcamps are pretty connected and see the value of twitter and other
means of being connected. We must do more to bring more teachers onboard to
increase their PLNs.

3.Social media in the classroom. As teachers, we
have a responsibility to model safe use of social media to our students. Doing
so, however, requires that students, parents, administrators, trust teachers to
do what’s right.

4.PD and meet. Seeing the power of edcamps, each
participant in this session agreed that we must continue our learning and
participation by involving more teachers and administrators in the edcamp
philosophy.

Despite the nearly 2:30 hour trip home (Washington even has
rush hour on Saturday afternoons), I returned home energized and wanting more.
The committed and passionate professionals I met today inspired me and
represent some of the best-and-brightest in education.

A special shout out to the great organizers and sponsors of
Edcamp Baltimore.

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About Me

I'm an associate principal at Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Virginia. Before moving to Charlottesville, I was an assistant principal at Kettle Run
High School in Nokesville, VA and before that I
taught world history, freshman seminar, individual reading and academic
coaching at Fauquier High School. I also coached girls basketball and
boys lacrosse while at FHS. Additionally, I taught and coached for 6
years at Rappahannock County High School. I also spent 1 year at Cedars
Academy in Bridgeville, Delaware.

I'm a co-moderator of #vachat, a weekly Twitter conversation for
Virginia (and non-Viriginians too) educators. We chat every Monday at 8
ET.

Most importantly, I'm a father and grandfather I have 4
wonderful children and a couple of grandchildren. In my free time, I enjoy outdoor activities, cooking,
reading, sports, and, of course, spending time with family.